Sustainability. It’s the topic everyone is talking about, and you may even be getting sustainability fatigue. So why do we keep talking about it?
Because it’s important.
It’s important for us, our families and future generations. And so as event professionals we owe it to the planet to play our part in our industry.
Sustainability isn’t just a trend. To do it properly, it takes a genuine mindset shift. You need to embed it into the process for it to work.
We have made it our mission at Lemon Lane to put sustainability at the heart of all of our events and we have learned a hell of a lot along the way. So much so, that we want to share it.
So, for anyone looking to make their events more sustainable, here are our top learnings and how to put best-practice into action when it comes to going green on your next event.
START WITH THE LOCATION
Choosing the right location is essential for any event. It’s important to look at audience location, travel options and sustainable destination criteria to find the greenest locations available. You can then focus on achieving both a wow venue and one that’s environmentally friendly too. So, what do you need to look for, and what’s best avoided when looking for a venue that ticks all the boxes?
- Get sustainability on to the agenda from the start by asking your events team to make finding an eco-friendly location and space your no.1 priority.
- Keep a keen eye out for venues with green energy, as well as certifications and energy efficient facilities. Something as simple as motion-sensor lighting will reduce your carbon impact by switching the lights off whenever they’re not needed.
- Look into the waste management process and circularity programmes of the venues you’re considering. Places doing it well will be proud to shout about it. We look for venues with a comprehensive waste management system who measure waste into; landfill, incineration, recycling and composting.
SUSTAINABLE EVENT BY DESIGN
We hate waste. So, it’s important to focus on ways to reduce the amount of waste produced during events.
- Start by designing events with waste minimisation in mind. That means hiring and reusing equipment and materials wherever possible. Working with partners such as Event Cycle to plan onward life for all resources we are able to report back where all elements of the event are going next.
- Looking good isn’t enough. There is no point having bamboo reusable plates if they end up in the general waste landfill or an incinerator. Start talking about waste management early to ensure that you don’t just look sustainable, but you are sustainable.
- Don’t forget about the little things. Details like name badges, handouts and delegate gifts are all ways you can make smart swaps that include a little planet love.
- Return and recycle. A number of companies now offer a bespoke print and return policy on things like lanyards. Available in recycled or biodegradable materials the company offer free return of the items with the promise to reuse or dispose of each environmentally.
ECO-FRIENDLY TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS
Travel can be unavoidable but there are ways to reduce the impact of travel and logistics on your event’s carbon footprint.
- As we’ve mentioned, no.1 is choosing a location which requires less attendee travel with great public transport links.
- Next, consider Hybrid-Hub events. These smaller events, local to attendees, link the events in real time using our technical support. We’ve had great success in this and are constantly harnessing new technology to make sure everyone feels part of one bigger-picture event. See our global triple-header case study for inspiration.
- Carpool anyone? Why not incentivise carpooling and support this through registration.
- Don’t leave it to chance. Make a point in the invitation to attendees that you’re keen for them to travel with sustainability in mind. Could you even tap into their competitive spirit and offer a prize for the most eco-conscious travellers.
- Make a gifting and swag plan as early as possible, choosing local suppliers and ethically sourced materials. We can help you find suppliers who give back to the local communities or have charity links. Also, check with attendees if they want the gift or if they would prefer to donate the same money to a linked charity? Unless a gift is meaningful it isn’t a gift!
SOURCING SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND DRINK
Menu planning is one of our favourite jobs. There are so many fun and exciting ways to introduce planet-friendly choices into the drinking and dining experience and by opting for locally sourced seasonal food, plant-based, or by not offering red meat, you can dramatically reduce your carbon footprint.
The key here is to know your audience. For instance, some audiences may love the opportunity to have a fully plant-based menu. Others might be a bit unsure, and that’s okay. Instead, you could work with your caterer to create some really tasty plant based break options. We’ve done this a lot and often attendees don’t realise the food is plant based until we tell them at the end of the event! A lovely win, and a great education moment.
It’s not just about the food itself but the supply chain around it. Work with venue Chefs to lean on their local supply chain, scout out unique independent spirit producers, locally farmed meat. Small producers are often experts in their field, creating high-grade products with great attention to detail, so flavour and quality are guaranteed.
BOOST YOUR SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH TECH
Technology can offer great alternatives to some of the more traditional, less-eco elements of an event.
- Ditch the printing. Use digital tools like mobile apps, digital signage and interactive technology instead to offer everyone access to copies of presentations, leaflets and schedules.
- Know the latest technology! We partner with industry experts to ensure we are aware of all latest technology for enhancing event communications and delivery. Lean on us to guide you through the options.
SUSTAINABILITY TRACKING
In addition to the reduction measure it is essential to measure your carbon on key elements of your event to help you keep sustainability on track and plan future events with real reduction results. We use TRACE by Isla which enables us to put together comprehensive reports of every event we manage. Not only is this great for our clients, but it also helps to highlight our commitments, achievements and offers up great learnings for us to carry forward to our next event.
IN CONCLUSION
So, there you have our top tips (and trust us there are lots more!) to introducing and maintaining sustainability into any event.
There are so many ways to cut the carbon footprint of any event, be that by looking closely at your menus or indeed where you choose to host it – it’s easy to start making improvements and seeing results.
But our two biggest pieces of advice are…
Get started. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Pick one item that you can influence and give it a go. You will be surprised how quickly it grows from there.
Secondly. Once you have started, stay focussed. We invested in a full time Sustainability Manager at Lemon Lane to ensure focus, consistency and continuous improvement on all of our events. We know this isn’t feasible for everyone but having someone who ensures it is on every agenda really does help.
Or even better, get us to do some of the heavy lifting for you, and get in touch.
